China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It is the also the largest country in the world in terms of population. Its billion plus population along with its diverse culture and rich and long past has given it one of the most vibrant cuisines in the world which is admired all over the world from America to Australia. In fact, catering has been pushed to the heights of art by Chinese primarily as an influence of the ancient custom of the buffets of Chinese emperors which had hundred dishes each!

Chinese cuisine varies greatly across its vast mainland from region to region. Bases on past traditions the Chinese cuisine can be divided into eight main regional cuisines called Eight Great Traditions. They are Hunan, Fujian, Shandong, Anhui, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

However four of the traditions based on geographical domains dominate the Chinese culinary heritage. They are – Shandong Cuisine (Northern China), Sichuan Cuisine (Western China), Jiangsu Cuisine (Eastern China) and Cantonese Cuisine (Southern China). In recent times Beijing cuisine and Shanghai cuisine are also getting popular. There has also been a resurgence of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine and Muslim halal cuisine.

Traditional Chinese cuisine has also been adapted in various parts of the world to meet local tastes. American Chinese cuisine and Indian Chinese cuisines are prime examples of this phenomenon. In Chinese cuisine most of the foods are in the form of small bits that can be readily consumed.

Instead of the usual forks and knives common in Western cuisines, Chinese food is served with chopsticks. Certain basic etiquettes are to be followed while eating food using chopsticks like not making noise using chopsticks and not toying with the food.

A small number of people in China, mostly Buddhists, follow vegetarianism. Vegetables like sprouts, corn and mushrooms are frequently used in vegetarian dished in china. Certain meat analogues that are prepared using soy protein and wheat gluten are also used in vegetarian dishes. These meat analogues resemble the quality, flavor and look of meat products like chicken, pork or duck.

Tea is a major beverage drink that originated in China and spread worldwide from here. Ancient Chinese considered tea to have medicinal values and it removed harmful toxins from the body. Chinese also have a long tradition of alcoholic beverages like grape wines which is more than 4500 years old.

If you come across McDonald’s or a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) outlet in China, don’t be surprised. A large number of multinational food and restaurant chains have opened outlets in China to tap the huge market of China especially in the major cities which have become wealthy due to strong economic growth in China in recent years.

Chinese catering and its cuisine present a modern view of China. It gives a glimpse of its long history. The catering traditions of china are the richest in the world. Additionally there are some recent important developments in China like the opening of its economy which have also left a mark on the catering services and Chinese cuisine.